Senate first OK to $18 billion state budget after debate touching on guns, abortion

In a debate that touched on abortion and concealed weapons, the Colorado Senate this evening gave first-round approval to an $18 billion state budget that cuts spending for public schools and colleges and closes a prison.

The spending plan that won initial approval only came after a week-long stalemate between the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-led House. Ultimately, the two chambers agreed to a deal that restored a few tax breaks for businesses while reducing a cut to K-12 schools by about 25 percent.

Even so, several Democrats lamented the fact that K-12 education still was taking a $250 million net reduction – even though that was significantly less than the original $332 million cut proposed by Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat.

Much of the debate came during consideration of a package of budget-balancing bills that accompanied the overall budget legislation.

Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Westminster, said there had been repeated cuts to K-12 education and she couldn’t vote for any more cuts to public schools.

“I can’t put my name on $250 million more of cuts,”Hudak said. “We have cut and cut and cut, and it has to stop somewhere.”

Mirroring a debate in Washington, 12 Republican state senators backed an amendment aimed at stopping state funds from going to Planned Parenthood. Republicans argued that all money is fungible, and it’s impossible to say that funding for family planning doesn’t subsidize abortion services.

“When you put air in the balloon, you can’t control where in the ballon it goes,” said Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield.

Steadman said the amendment was repeating the “folly that’s going on in Washington” and said the amendment would restrict access to family planning services. He noted that all of the sponsors of the amendment were men.

Republican Sens. Nancy Spence of Centennial, Jean White of Hayden and Ellen Roberts of Durango did not sign on to the amendment, which failed.

Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, offered another amendment that would have specified that concealed weapons could be carried on college campuses.

“We need to make sure that students at our universities have the inalienable right to protect themselves,” Harvey said of the amendment, which also failed.

Sen. Kevin Grantham, R-Can~on City, tried unsuccessfully to stop, or at least delay, the plan to shut down the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility in Bent County. Closure of the 485-plus bed facility would save $6.3 million a year.

Grantham said loss of the 204 jobs at the prison would devastate the Bent County economy, causing as much as 10 percent of the local school population to be lost.

Unlike Denver, Grantham said, a job loss like that couldn’t be absorbed by the surrounding community.

Steadman agreed the cut was painful, but said, “We are shrinking government here folks. I’m sorry that’s only popular when that occurs in someone else’s district.”

The Senate must approve the budget, Senate Bill 209, on a recorded vote before it can move to the House.

It appears that the Senate Repulbicans have little to offer to address our State’s real issues and have to fall back on their party’s social engineering playbook.

It’s sad that all Mr. Harvey has to offer is to try to arm college students while they are attending class. I hope that his constituents remember all he has offered when it is time to re-elect their Senator.

Guest

It appears that the Senate Repulbicans have little to offer to address our State’s real issues and have to fall back on their party’s social engineering playbook.

It’s sad that all Mr. Harvey has to offer is to try to arm college students while they are attending class. I hope that his constituents remember all he has offered when it is time to re-elect their Senator.

Anonymous

Colorado is a reflection of the country’s irresponsible over-spending problem. Our state legislators need to eliminate our debt and balance our budget, or we will all sink together.

Anonymous

Colorado is a reflection of the country’s irresponsible over-spending problem. Our state legislators need to eliminate our debt and balance our budget, or we will all sink together.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.